According to a research, an inexpensive visual screening test that detects early signs of cervical cancer can save the lives of millions of women. For this test, a woman?s cervix is held open with a speculum and washed with vinegar-soaked cotton gauze. After one minute, pre-cancerous lesions turned white and could be detected under a halogen lamp. Study authors used this method to screen nearly 50,000 women in India and found that it reduced the number of cases by 25 percent and the death rate by 35 percent. Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women.